Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East
by Amanda H. Podany
Oxford University Press 2022

Histories of the ancient Near East often end with the conquests and death of Alexander the Great. Amanda H. Podany in her new history of the ancient Near East, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings, eschews this usual endpoint. Weavers, Scribes, and Kings, instead, uses cuneiform writing as a frame and focus. By focusing on cuneiform, Podany centers her history not only on political events but on the lives of the people who lived thousands of years ago. A rich and rewarding history is the result.

Weavers, Scribes, and Kings is framed by the development of and ultimate decline and abandonment of cuneiform as an active form of writing. The book focuses on Mesopotamia, Syria, and Elam with Anatolia, the Levant, Egypt, and lands further distant appearing when those lands and peoples appear in cuneiform records. In addition to kings, representative selections of the populations appear in some depth. Weavers, Scribes, and Kings is organized into sections chronologically from the development of proto cuneiform to the abandonment of cuneiform outside of astronomy and other specialized fields (though continuing to use traditional historical periods).

Cuneiform was an incredibly difficult writing system to master. There were hundreds of signs students had to memorize.. But the cuneiform inscriptions endured. So too did the scribes, who appear throughout the narrative. Scribes were essential for writing contracts, serving the bureaucracy, and writing for those who could not. One of the most interesting sections of the narrative is the look at the scribal school known as House F. Hundreds of tablets were found at this school (a good amount of what is known about the ancient Near East survived because those documents were used in the curricula, endlessly copied). Podany uses the name of one of the students that is known, Elletum, to extrapolate what his, and his fellow students, lives would have been like.

Including people like Elletum into the narrative is a highlight of the book. In addition to scribes, weavers, brewers, musicians, and merchants are included. One of the most interesting people whose lives are explored is Zum, a weaver who later became supervisor of a team of weavers in Lagash. Another interesting life explored is Bazatum, a musician from Mari. And the family firm of merchants from Assyria trading in Anatolia led by the paranoid Ashur-idi is fascinating.

The chapter on Ebla, a state in Syria ultimately destroyed by Sargon of Akkad, is wonderful reading. Centered on the marriage of Tabur-damu to the king Ishar-damu, a vivid portrait of Ebla is realized through the intricate rituals and gifts that comprised the marriage ceremony. From that beginning, much of what is known about Ebla is explored. All of this makes the tragedy of Ebla’s destruction palpable.

The section on the Late Bronze Age is also a highlight. In these chapters, Podany focuses on the rise and maintenance of the brotherhood that existed between the great states of the period (Babylon, Mitanni, Egypt, and Hatti with Assyria and Elam being later disruptive additions). The intricacy of the diplomacy, the exploration of how linguistic and cultural differences alter interpretations of letters, and the exploration into the envoy Hane are all well done.

There are some issues with Weavers, Scribes, and Kings, however. A minor issue is the usage of biblical and Greek names for the kings of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia that appear in the Bible and in Greek sources. The focus of the book is Babylon and Assyria, among other states. While biblical and Greek names are more common and used traditionally, it would have been nice to see Nabu-kudurri-usur used more prominently compared to Nebuchadnezzar.

A more concerning issue for Weavers, Scribes, and Kings is the lack of a conclusion or epilogue. The narrative of the history of the ancient Near East peters out as cuneiform fell out of popular usage. The lack of a conclusion or epilogue prevents reflection on the history of the ancient Near East as well as a reflection on the legacy of cuneiform as one of the first forms of writing in human history.

New histories of the ancient Near East are distressingly rare, to say nothing of more specific histories of the thousands of years such histories cover. Despite a few flaws, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings is a welcome and wonderful new addition.

James Holder holds a BA in English Literature. He lives in Texas.